Don't believe in false promises of Congress, BJP: KCR tells people

Hyderabad, Aug 24 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday cautioned people against believing false and misleading promises of Congress and BJP. 

Addressing a public meeting at Medak, he urged people to be alert and exercise their vote carefully in the coming Assembly elections. 

He advised them to analyse what was the situation in Telangana 10 years ago and what it is today. This was the first public meeting addressed by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief after announcing candidates for 115 out of 119 seats for coming Assembly elections. 

KCR appealed to people to continue their support to the BRS so that the state can march ahead on the path of development and prosperity. 

He ridiculed the appeal of Congress to people to give the party a change and reminded people that they have given the chance to Congress for 50 years. 

The BRS chief while BJP is saying that electricity meters should be fixed to agriculture pumpsets, the Congress party is saying that three hour electricity is sufficient for farmers. 

KCR claimed that Telangana lost Rs 25,000 crore because his government refused to accept the condition laid down by the BJP government at the Centre that meters should be fixed to agriculture pumpsets. 

"I told them clearly that I will not accept this even at the cost of my life," he said. 

Lashing out at the Congress party, he said the party made many promises during recent elections in Karnataka but failed to fulfill them after coming to power. 

KCR said that farmers in Karnataka are getting only 7 hours of power supply. 

He claimed that Telangana is the only state in the country supplying free power to farmers for 24 hours. 

The government is not asking farmers how much water they are drawing or what is the HP of the motors being used by them. 

He said 1.03 crore households in Telangana have got drinking water connections under Mission Bhagiratha and asked why Congress never thought of supplying drinking water. 

Pointing out that agriculture was in distress before formation of Telangana state, he claimed that Kaleshwaram and other projects enhanced irrigation facilities and the state has now overtaken Punjab in paddy production. 

"There are no farmer suicides in Telangana today. The villages are prospering. People are building houses. I am told that villages have as many as 30-40 and even 60-70 cars each," he said. 

KCR asked the people if they would allow all the progress made in the last nine years to be destroyed by giving power to parties which are inefficient and which failed to deliver on their promises in the past. 

He claimed that Telangana has become a model state with several schemes for the welfare of farmers. 

Referring to the Rythu Bima scheme, he said Rs 5 lakh is being given to the family of a deceased farmer irrespective of the cause of death. 

"This scheme is not there even in the US, UK or any other country and it is not there in any other state in India," he said. 

He slammed Congress party for its promise to scrap Dharani portal and alleged that it wants to bring back corruption and system of middlemen in land registration. 

He reiterated that it is because of Dharani that the money is being immediately credited to the bank accounts of farmers under Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima. 

On the promise of Congress to increase social security pension to Rs 4,000, KCR urged people to think whether a party which was paying only Rs 200 as the pension will pay Rs 4,000. 

He said it was BRS which increased the pension to Rs 2,000 and assured the people that it will be gradually enhanced with the increase in the state's revenue. 

KCR appealed to the people of Medak to re-elect Padma Devender Reddy with a huge majority. 

Earlier, the chief minister inaugurated the new buildings of district collectorate, the office of SP and also the BRS office.